I, the Ming Dynasty, can still save me

Chapter 58 Chat in the Capital (End)

Behind the edict is the title book where many officials wrote letters and made suggestions.

This selection of question books was reviewed by Zhu Youxiao, and three question books with suggestions were included.

One is the title text of Zang Er, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, who proposed to increase commercial taxes; the other is the opinion of Li Ruhua, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, requesting for the recovery of past tax debts; the last one is to advocate opening up and encouraging maritime trade, setting up Questions on tariffs, etc.

Because there was a lot of content, Huang Dong did not read it one by one.Just tell the general outline and let the tea drinkers understand the general outline.

But when everyone heard the contents of the three question books, they immediately exploded. Especially the first question book, which was about increasing commercial taxes, was closely related to them.

Commercial tax in the Ming Dynasty was mainly divided into two major aspects: over-tax and residence tax (also known as city tax). Each aspect contained several different specific tax items.

Overtaxes mainly include banknote tariffs, entrance taxes, etc.; residence taxes include official store money (the government allocates special houses for merchants to store passengers and goods, etc., and then collects taxes), store gate money (business tax), deed tax, etc. kind.

Commercial taxes had little impact on ordinary farmers, but they had a great impact on the citizens and merchants of the Ming Dynasty.Most of the people sitting here who have time to drink tea are people with a certain amount of property or business, and are naturally extremely sensitive to business taxes.

"Why do we need to increase business tax? How will we do business in the future?"

A middle-aged businessman couldn't help complaining when he heard about this.

He travels between Nanzhili and Beijing all the year round, so he is naturally very aware of the currency exchange and the exploitation of merchants.Although the tax rate is not high, traveling from Hangzhou to the capital via the canal requires passing through four checkpoints in Linqing, Yangzhou, Hangzhou and Chongwenmen. Each time you pass through, you have to pay a tax, which makes many merchants overwhelmed.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he said these words, he would be slapped in the face by someone who knew about it.

"Master Zheng, don't cry because you are poor. Compared with us, you are living a very prosperous life. Who doesn't know that every time you pass the customs, you use the banner of Wu'an Marquis Zheng's house. How can the customs dare to collect taxes from you? ah"

When the businessman named Zheng heard this, he immediately became anxious.

"Do you think the banner you use is in vain? The goods purchased as tribute to the house every year and the amount of money spent on it are countless, you guys don't understand!"

"Yes, we don't understand. Then you might as well let me take over this job. I've been thinking about it all the time."

A fellow trader who is also a businessman joked.Everyone laughed when they heard this, but Zheng Xingshang ignored him.

"Oh, I just don't know how much I need to increase the amount?"

"It's nothing for the imperial court to increase the amount, but they are afraid that the officials below will follow this method and increase the amount several times to collect. Seeing this, it is better to make plans early. I think it is better to quickly do what Mr. Zheng did and find connections to rely on. good."

What he said was true, and everyone secretly agreed.

This actually also exposed the problem of commercial tax collection in the Ming Dynasty. Although the court had regulations, in the actual collection process, officials often doubled the collection without supervision. However, if they were dependent on powerful people, the court officials would be a little restrained and act expediently. .

"Don't be anxious, this is just a memorial statement in the title book. How long can I say whether I agree or not?"

"Yes, but since it was published in the "Beijing News" and made known to everyone, it means that it is almost the same."

This statement made sense, and everyone's mood dropped a lot.Some people even began to say that Zang Erquan, the minister of household affairs who suggested this matter, was a treacherous minister, otherwise it would not be like this.However, everyone present was not opposed. In the corner, there was a tall and tall scholar with fair complexion, thin face, and unusually thick arms who had been drinking tea and reading.

He was originally from Yixing, South Zhili, and his family was well off. He failed in the imperial examination in Wanli 47, so he stayed in the capital to review, thinking of studying nearby and waiting for the imperial examination the following year.But a few days ago, the imperial court issued an edict saying that in order to celebrate the new emperor's accession to the throne, Enke would be admitted early next year, which made him ecstatic, so he studied harder.

In addition to reviewing his homework, he also likes to pay attention to "the strategies of ancient generals, prime ministers, famous ministers, and the rules of military and economic systems" in classics and history.In the past, when I read about the deeds of Zhang Xun and Yue Fei, I often sighed: "It's enough for me to be such a person!" They were very concerned about the affairs of the court.

But no matter how serious you are, you have to pass the exam first.He also understands this truth. After reviewing his homework and reading books every morning, he doesn't have any hobbies, so he likes to come to this teahouse to drink tea and read for a while. Although it is noisy, it still has the feeling of "coming to the bustling city to live in samadhi".

Huang Dong read the "Beijing News" today, and he also heard it.

He is also familiar with the political affairs of the DPRK and China, and knows that the war in Liaodong is currently costing a lot of money, and the increase in Liao's salaries has exhausted the people's strength. Since August this year, internal funds have indeed been allocated repeatedly to rescue emergencies. Now the imperial court is moving from east to west, making it difficult to maintain. That's why the emperor came up with strategies and edicts.

When he heard that many businessmen in the teahouse complained about this, he felt dissatisfied, so he said:

"Nowadays, the war in Liaodong is urgent, and the court is spending a lot of money. At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the commercial tax was thirty to one, which was the lowest in history! Since Jiajing, the commercial tax has been changed to ten to one, which is far lower than that of the Tang and Song Dynasties. It has never been more generous to merchants. .

Now the commercial tax is being raised to supplement the national needs. Even if it is shared evenly, it will not be much, so it is self-evident. Besides, it is not just about levying commercial tax. Didn't the "Beijing News" also say that sea trade should be encouraged and tariffs should be set. "

As soon as he said this, all the businessmen showed dissatisfaction. As the saying goes, it is easy to go from frugality to luxury, but it is difficult to go from luxury to frugality. They are used to a good life with light taxes, but now they have to increase taxes and take money from their pockets. It's worse than killing them.Seeing that this man actually spoke for the court, they all responded with insults.

This man was not upset after hearing this, but he knew that many here were ordinary people, few were attached to the powerful, few were big businessmen, and few had connections with the government. They suffered, as they have done since time immemorial.

So he continued to read quietly without saying anything to refute. Seeing him like this, everyone lost interest.After drinking tea and chatting, they dispersed.

After Huang Dong finished reading, he was not idle and continued to serve tea and water.

But he was also thinking about this matter in his mind, but it was not a national matter of the court raising taxes, but the sale of the "Beijing News".In the past, he had only heard that Di newspapers were only sent to the government, and ordinary people could not buy them.

But now this newspaper is not only available for purchase, but also keeps up with current events. Just mentioning the imperial court's increase in taxes has aroused everyone's discussion and concern.I thought I would buy another copy of the Beijing News tomorrow and continue to read the newspaper in the teahouse. I would be able to attract tea drinkers and people who care about current affairs to come to drink tea and listen to discussions. By then, business will definitely be much better.

With a plan in mind, he went to the shopkeeper to discuss his idea. Unexpectedly, the shopkeeper felt that the "Beijing News" was too expensive and cost a penny, which made him feel a little distressed.

Seeing this, he discussed with the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper would contribute [-]%, and he would contribute [-]% from his own salary. He would help buy it every morning and read the newspaper for the shopkeeper when he came back. However, he hoped that he would take the newspaper back to practice. Words, study.

The shopkeeper was very moved after hearing this and nodded in agreement. He just asked him not to lose sight of one thing and not to stop doing the work in his hands.

Huang Dong quickly agreed. After a second thought, he returned to the back room, found the five coins he had saved during this period from his box, took out one coin and returned to the front hall to find Mr. Yuan Si.

　Guess who this person is, his imperial examination time has been slightly changed.

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(End of this chapter)